I’m really sorry to hear that you do not find version 2 to be easier and simpler to use – which is the intent! In order to drive development in the right direction, I’d really appreciate specific comments on what you find to be less attractive with version 2. We’re continually adapting and fine tuning AxCrypt to fit as many usage scenarios as possible within our overall design and security goals.

No, as to your question: AxCrypt 1.7.3180 is as safe to use as it always was. However, it’s not being actively developed and while we are not aware of any issues with it, it’s unlikely we’d fix them should such arise. In the long run it’s also likely it’ll become incompatible with future versions of Windows. But it does appear to work well with Windows 10, so for now you should be fine.

We’ve made some changes to how AxCrypt is used, most of which actually make it more convenient to use both for daily personal use, as well as for sharing encrypted files with other recipients. We’ve also removed some usage patterns that are simply not good. Before making the final judgement, please look into the following blog posts: